


Hidden Revelations

by BlackandWhiteisntclear



Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 08:18:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14256795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackandWhiteisntclear/pseuds/BlackandWhiteisntclear
Summary: Nalliah Zuva grew up in a place most people would consider unlivable. She begged for pennies, food, and blankets. She was lucky enough to escape that place but in all honesty, she fears she never really left.Years later after an explosion at the Sokovia Accords in Vienna that left a glowing blue mark on her arm and questions that no one can answer, she finds her self back in that place. And finding answers that she'd never wished to unearth.





	1. Chapter 1

She hadn’t realized that she forgot the smell. She didn’t know how she could have let the smell of rotten water, filth, and decay escape her mind, but she did. Nalliah didn’t realize that she forgot how much the pavement was cracked or how hot the trash fires burned and left a sting in her eyes. She had never been thankful for forgetting something until now.

  
The promise she made herself to never return here was in the back of her mind as she tucked her hands into her coat pockets and walked through the crowded twist and turns of Tent City. Her home for the first twelve years of her life. A place she wanted to leave in the past and lock away in her mind. Yet here she was, looking for the one person she wanted to forget more than any of this, her mother.

  
“Nalliah Zuva. Showing her face in the slums. I never thought I would see the day again.” A voice that had once haunted her dreams and provoked her nightmares left her frozen in her path. A fear passed over her before she had the chance to contain it. Her gaze remained forward as she scanned the crowd in front of her. Their tired eyes showed empathy, some anger, and some were just empty.

  
She once belonged to these people, she was once just as angry, and just as empty. She used to have the same fear in her eyes when the man standing behind walked the streets of Tent City. That was not who she was anymore. She was no longer empty, she was no longer alone, and she was no longer scared.

  
“Zachariah,” She turned on her feet and met the man’s gaze with as much strength as she could. “Where is she?”

  
Her voice didn’t waiver and her fist didn’t leave her pockets. As the man in front of her walked towards her with a swagger that made her stomach turn.

  
“Your mother?” His deep laugh ran a chill down her spine. She had once been terrified that this man would burn what little she had to the ground. She remembered how his scarred face and amber eyes left her screaming as he would rip what small amount of money her mother had collected from begging out of their hands that was the fee for being able to take shelter in Tent City. She had fought against him once, trying to steal back the only money they had for food for the week. She had learned quickly why her mother never fought against him. Why she would coward away with her liquor bottles and rotten dinners. Nalliah had to learn the lesson the hard way that no one ever stole from Zachariah, the King of the City. The scar left on her left forearm was nearly six inches long and when she had come back to her makeshift tent crying to her mother for help. She received nothing but a shrug.  
She realized then that her mother would never fight for anything. Including her.

  
“Your mother is definitely somewhere.” He chuckled as he ran his hand over his face. The light from the trash fires illuminated the rings he wore on his fingers. Her stomach turned at the realization of how many warm meals those rings could buy the citizens of this wretched place.

  
“Care to elaborate?” Her hands still in fists and her nails dug into her palms hidden in her pockets, but her voice did not waver. She suddenly became very aware of the feeling of her shirt rubbing against her scar.

  
“Look at you, eh?” Zachariah sauntered towards her with his finger waving in the air. “Little ole Nalliah thinks that she can come back here with a fancy coat and clean shoes and talk to me like she runs the place!”

  
He was close enough to her that she could smell the alcohol on his breath and see the anger in his eyes. Her feet stayed firmly in place and her back remained straight. A crowd had gathered around them, all of their tired eyes watching and waiting as she stood face to face with the man that had made this place what it was, soiled.

  
“Where is she, Zachariah?” Her voice was quieter but in no way submissive. His eyes trailed over her like she was a prize and she could feel her nails draw blood from her palms. It was everything she could do to keep herself from knocking that look right off his face.

  
“She’s by the basins!” The voice was one Nalliah did not recognize, but as both she and Zachariah turned to see who had shouted out they noticed that it was an older woman standing in front of the larger crowd that had now gathered.

  
She had a strength about her that restored all confidence in Nalliah. A story written in her eyes that held bravery and cause. Nalliah nodded towards her in thanks as she left Zachariah standing in his place.

  
When she had gotten far enough away to lose Zachariah she turned around and looked for the woman. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was nowhere to be seen and said a silent prayer that she had gotten away before the self-proclaimed king had the chance to retaliate against her.

  
As Nalliah made her way to the basins she looked over the faces of the citizens around her and her heart wrenched. Little boys cowering behind sheets for warmth, little girls who looked like they hadn’t had a meal in days. Memories washed over her as she saw families cowering around fires and huddling for warmth. She tried to shake them away as she continued to look for her mother.

  
It wasn’t long before she had made her way to the farthest corner of the city. As she looked at face after face hoping that her mother was amongst the crowded bathing station her eyes froze on a little girl standing a few yards in front of her. It was as if all of the sudden her feet refused to move, and her eyes had become locked in place. Nalliah could tell from the short distance that the girl’s body was weak from malnutrition and her hair matted beyond fixing. She saw herself in that little girl, saw the same pain in her eyes as she had once had, saw the same loneliness in her face that all but consumed her. The darkness she had long since buried. Nalliah was moving towards her and kneeling in front of her before she even realized it.

  
“What’s your name?” Nalliah almost didn’t recognize the softness in her own voice.

  
The little girl stood still in front of her, not saying a word. Just looked up at her with wide wondering eyes. She could read the story written in them but knew that there were pages and pages of that sad story that had yet to be written. Nalliah didn’t even think before she was taking off her coat and wrapping it around the little girl’s shoulders. Covering her torn clothes and too prominent collar bones.

  
“You keep this safe for me, okay?” Nalliah tied the belt around her three times before it was snug enough to protect her from the cold. “I’ll be back to get it.” She masked the sadness in her voice with a smile as she finished the tie.

  
The little girl still said nothing as Nalliah stood up and brushed the dirt off her knees. The faster she could get out of this place the better off she would be. And as soon as she got the answers she was looking for, she could leave all of this and her mother behind her.

  
She smiled once more at the little girl before she turned around and started to search again for the woman she came here for. She didn’t think that she would be hard to find, but a decade could change a lot about a person especially when they lived in a place like this. Her appearance would be no doubt different, but she prayed she would be some sort of recognizable. Nalliah had made a little effort to keep tabs on her mother, just so she could make sure she was still breathing, but that is where any connection with her mother had stopped.

  
It wasn’t long before her silent prayers were answered. The moment she saw the old women resting on a pile of filthy blankets she knew exactly who she was. She had the same blank gaze in her eyes, the same worn scars on her dark skin. This woman was her mother. There was no doubt.

  
She approached her with quiet steps. As if she was approaching a lion protecting its den. Her mother’s eyes never strayed from the trash fire in front of her as she approached.

  
“Mother?” She tried to find the strength she had when she was confronted by Zachariah. But her mother brought out a weakness in her that she could not reign. Despite the fire that was burning just a few feet away from her, the absence of her coat was making Nalliah shiver against the cold.

  
“Nalliah,” Her mother still did not make eye contact with her as she let out a soft laugh. An anger rushed through her as she stared at the woman in front of her. This was the woman that left her to rot, that made her scavenge for food and beg strangers for money, this was the woman that watched her stitch her own arm back together with a loose string and a worn sewing needle. This woman did not get to laugh.

  
“I need one thing from you.” She had found that anger and strength once more. As she stepped in front of her mother she was no longer concerned with the cold as she pulled up the sleeve of her shirt. The change in her mother’s expression let Nalliah know her mother knew exactly why she came here.

  
“Tell me, what in the hell this is?” Nalliah finished rolling up her sleeve and kept her gaze locked on her mother face. The old woman in front of her stared at the mark on her arm. An almost pentagon shaped symbol that was made of numerous smaller shapes and swirls sat on her forearm. It was the size of her palm and glowed a dull blue.

  
“This means child,” her mother said quietly. Slowly reaching for her arm, admiring the mark with a sort of wonder. “It is time for you to go home.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She had first noticed it when she was recovering in a Vienna Hospital after the explosion at the Sokoiva accords. That day would always be the moment everything changed for her. Everything she had known about herself was thrown up in the air and she couldn’t scramble fast enough to catch it before it came crashing towards the ground.

  
“Miss. You were in an accident.” Where the first words she heard when she woke up in her hospital bed.

  
An accident. An unexplainable terrorist attack. An unfortunate incident. No one could tell anyone what had happened. No one had answers. She was there with the press representing Mr. Starks team.

  
It took her three days to have enough strength to get up and walk. Two weeks to use the bathroom by herself. And Nalliah was one of the lucky ones. She was lucky enough to be able to survive the explosion. But she knew the moment she looked at herself in the mirror for the first time after, things would forever be different.When she first saw the mark, it was if it wasn’t really there and she could have sworn it was just the after-effects of the pain medication. Unfortunately for her no amount of recovery or time could make it disappear.

The explosion in Vienna was almost four months ago.

“The bathroom is around the corner, the spare bedroom is down the hall. You should probably take a shower.” Nalliah threw her bag down next to the door as she pointed directions to where her mother would be staying.Nalliah had thought she would have been able to handle seeing her mother better than this. She never thought she would see her mother standing in her entryway. She never wanted to have anyone from her past anywhere near her new life and yet here she was.

  
There were a lot of things happening these past few months she never expected to happen. Nalliah supposed she would just have to get used to it. Out of all the things she wouldn’t have expected to happen, the hatred that she was feeling for the women sharing her apartment with her was one she hadn’t felt in over a decade. But Nalliah had to remind herself that no matter how much she wanted to strangle the woman standing in front of her she only needed one thing, an answer, then she would be gone. Then maybe things would start to work themselves out.  
Unfortunately, nothing short of screaming at her mother got anything out of her. Which lead to where they were both standing.

  
In fact, the entire cab ride back to her apartment her mother barely broke eye contact with her arm, as if she could see the glowing mark through her sleeve. It took everything she had, and an innocent cab driver, for her not shake some sort of explanation out of her.

It’s time for you to go home.

Her phone buzzing in her pocket distracted her from the new fiery anger building in her. The name on the screen was the last one she expected and the last person she had any want to speak with at the moment.

TONY STARK

She shouldn’t have been shocked and almost ignored the call altogether. Yet she made sure to listen for the shower running before she slid into her office and shut the door behind her.“Tony. What part of vacation don’t you understand? ” Nalliah didn’t bother hiding the annoyance in her voice. Even if the last thing she was doing was enjoying her very rare few weeks off, she knew Tony wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important.

  
“Riddle me this, why did I pay for a two weeks’ worth of sunshine and margaritas in the Maldives for you to still be in rainy Manhattan?” Tony’s voice already sounded distracted, whatever he called about wasn’t anything to do with her still being in New York.

  
“I’m leaving tomor—you’re tracking my phone?” She couldn’t even finish lying before she continued “Never mind.” Of course, he was.

  
“Listen, there’s this kid, and he’s a great kid. Fabulous, kind of a hot head but shows promising qualities.” He was rambling. Whatever it was that he wanted, she didn’t have time for it.

  
“Vacation Tony. I’m on vacation. I can’t—” She knew that trying to reason with him would be meaningless, but with her mother only two rooms away and a glowing blue tattoo on her forearm she didn’t have the energy to be dealing with Tony Stark right now.

  
“He’s that Spider-Guy.” He had to be joking. “Spider-Man, well he’s sixteen so Spider-Boy. Helped out with the situation a few months back.” He rarely spoke about the confrontation with Captain America. Any hope of joking was thrown out of the question.

  
“Tony.” She was hoping her annoyance was resonating with him on some level, but she had figured out after years of working for him, once he was set on something there was no changing his mind.

  
“I’m making him an Avenger, Nal. I need a room full of press and ones preferably that won’t eat him for breakfast on his first day.”

  
“You want me to organize a press junket for you? Why can’t you just have Mario do it? He’s just as capable.” When she had first signed on when she was nineteen to Mr. Starks press team she had no idea in just three short years she would be in control of it all. Not that she wasn’t grateful. She would forever be thankful for everything that Stark Industries had done for her. Providing her a job right out of high school was not something that happened very often and her background didn’t provide her with a lot of opportunities for growth.

  
“I just need you to send a list of who you think is best then I’ll leave you alone to your metaphorical margaritas that I spent non—metaphorical money on.” She didn’t have the energy to argue right now.

  
“Fine. Tell Mario that I’ll have the list emailed to him by morning.” She opened the door to her office slightly, but no sounds of running water were coming from down the hallway.

  
“Fantastic. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Enjoy a margarita for me, Nal.” Tomorrow?

  
“Wait! No, Tony. I’m not—” He had hung up the phone before she had the chance to argue. It seemed she would be taking an unwanted trip to the Headquarters tomorrow. Nalliah would just have to lock her mom in her apartment and pray that she didn’t steal anything.

  
“Mother? You need to come out here. We have to talk about this at some point!” The guest room where she was expecting to find her mother was empty.“Fantastic.”

  
There were not too many places that a grown woman could have hidden. While her apartment wasn’t terribly small, it wasn’t big enough to lose an entire person in.  
After very few annoyed minutes of looking she had found her in one of the two back bedrooms staring at one of the paintings on the wall.

  
“What are you doing in here? I told you your room is across the hall.” She approached her mother from behind. Continuing to try to get her attention but her mother continued to stare at the painting. It was one Nalliah had done herself when she was just seventeen. She had gotten rid of most of her paintings when she moved to Manhattan simply because there was not enough room to store them, but for some reason, at this particular one always stayed with her.

  
Something about the yellows and burning oranges of a sunset cascading itself on a black mountain range made her feel, for lack of better words, safe.

  
“Mother, we need to talk.” She now stood behind her finding some comfort in looking at the painting as well. It was a reminder that things were once normal for her and hopefully could be again.

  
“I’ve only heard about them in stories. I’ve never actually been.” Her mother’s voice had gone quiet as if she was whispering a secret.

  
“Mother, please. Come sit.” Nalliah was tired of playing games. The faster that her situation could be resolved the faster everything could go back to normal.

  
“The sunsets,” Her mother continued. “Are supposed to be amongst the most beautiful in the world.” Almost all hope had drained from Nalliah as her mother reached forward to trace the mountain range with her fingers. She should just have left her mother in Tent City and figured out another solution to her problem. Maybe if she finally got the courage to show Tony he would be able to figure something out.

  
“I think we both need rest. It has been a long day.” She slowly reached to hook her had around her mother’s elbow when she said,

  
“Wakanda.” She paused and laid her hand on Nalliah’s arm, but didn’t avert her stare from the painting. “That is your home.”


End file.
